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A Story: Dark (Werewolf Fantasy) by GooseBump: 1:41am On Apr 11, 2018 |
Opening your eyes to find that you’re upside down can’t be good, can it? Through the cobwebs clouding her mind, Roni Axton realized that it wasn’t just she who was upside down. The car had toppled over. Well, that sucked. Clearly the Bleep-up fairy had made an appearance. Strangely, Roni felt no rush of panic, no fear. And despite that she was pretty sure her head was bleeding, there was no pain. There was only a feeling of weightlessness. Even the fact that her wolf was frantic didn’t disturb Roni in this dreamlike moment. Her brain distantly registered that the car kept leaning sideways, as if something was repeatedly pulling at it. But it was the various sounds that penetrated her mental fog: low moans, a phone ringing, a child crying, and strange voices arguing. Sensing that the ringtone and the moans were coming from her left, Roni turned her head to find a male wolf shifter in the driver’s seat, eyes closed. Tao. Huh. Odd that the Phoenix Pack’s Head Enforcer was with her. She rarely hung out with anyone outside her pack. In truth, Roni counted very few people as friends. Sadly, she was very like her brother, Alpha of their recently formed Mercury Pack, in that she found social situations uncomfortable. In Nick’s case, it was because he didn’t like most people. In Roni’s case, it was because most people didn’t like her. Even when she was a kid, she’d found making friends difficult, especially at school. It was kind of hard to fit in when you were a tomboy with a higher IQ than that of your teachers. It probably made things worse that she didn’t “get” her own gender. But she just didn’t see the appeal behind constantly gossiping, shopping endlessly, asking deep personal questions, or having different lotions for different body parts. Roni was more comfortable around guys, particularly her two brothers and her Beta male, Derren. Men didn’t care that she wasn’t a people pleaser, or that she didn’t know how to satisfy social niceties, or that she preferred chocolate to living beings of any species. The only female she thought of as a friend was her Alpha female, Shaya, who— A succession of memories suddenly hit Roni hard: Shaya singing to a toddler in the backseat, Tao playfully grumbling about the noise, the sound of tires screeching, an unexpected impact to the side of the vehicle, a blow to her head that made everything go black. Grasping onto those threads of memory, Roni remembered how she had escorted Shaya—who was two months pregnant—on a daytrip to the zoo with Shaya’s godson, Kye, and his bodyguard, Tao. The Alpha female had wanted a break from Nick and his extreme overprotectiveness. It was during the drive back to Phoenix Pack territory when a car had slammed into theirs. And then she’d gone and passed out like a girl. How embarrassing. Blinking rapidly, she swiveled her head as much as she could. She might have winced at the sharp pain that lanced through her neck if she hadn’t been distracted by the fact that Shaya wasn’t in the backseat beside a still crying Kye. That was when Roni noticed the female body sprawled like a ragdoll on the grass a few feet away from the vehicle. Bleep. The dreamy quality of the moment disappeared as reality crashed into Roni, and her wolf howled in fear and rage. One word dominated Roni’s thoughts: out. She had to get out. Forcing a reassuring smile for Kye, who was squirming in his safety seat and reaching for her, she crooned, “It’s okay, little man. Give me a second and I’ll—” The car wobbled sideways again. “This crowbar is a piece of shit!” griped an unfamiliar voice. “Hurry up!” ordered an equally unfamiliar voice. “We don’t have much time before someone shows up. Coleman and Axton will sense through their pack links that something’s wrong with their wolves.” The stranger was right about that: she could sense Nick’s rage and anxiety. She could also sense Shaya through the pack link; she was alive, but unconscious. “I can’t open the door, it’s jammed.” A growl. “Move. I’ll do it.” The car swayed again. That was when Roni understood what was happening. Someone was yanking at one of the rear door handles, trying desperately to get inside . . . trying to get to . . . Kye. Oh, the Bleep no. Roni awkwardly fought to unclip her seatbelt. It eventually snapped open, and she cried out at the sensation of falling onto a bed of glass. She shelved the pain as she righted herself and began to slide toward the backseat on her stomach. “Tao, wake up! Get to Shaya!” All she received was another moan. “Shit! One of them is awake!” Rather than flee, the strangers redoubled their efforts to open the door. Their efforts paid off. Just as the top half of Roni’s body wriggled through the gap between the seats, the door was yanked open, and a tanned arm reached for Kye. Roni unsheathed her claws and sliced at the limb, causing it to flinch away. Her wolf growled her approval. “I swear to God, if any part of your body tries to touch him again, you won’t get it back intact!” “You bitch!” Two arms reached inside this time, both sporting claws of their own. One set of claws acted as a barricade between her and Kye while the other set cut through the belt that secured Kye’s safety seat to the car. In a lightning fast motion, the arms caught him before he and his seat could crash to the floor. Roni stabbed her claws through one long, muscled arm, past bone, and all the way into the rear seat, pinning the arm in place. He howled in pain, hurling obscenities at her. Well, she had warned him; he’d chosen to ignore her, so there was really no need for that kind of language. With her free hand, Roni worked Kye’s belt open. His little body toppled out of the safety seat and onto her outstretched arm. If her wolf could have sighed in relief, she would have. Curling her arm around him, Roni pulled him tight against her body. Only then did she release the would-be-kidnapper from the grip of her claws. She was feeling a hint of victory when someone grabbed a fistful of her hair from behind. Turning her head as much as the strong grip would allow, she realized that the second male had come at her from the other side of the car. He held her in place by her hair while the other shifter frantically struggled to drag Kye from her grasp. The toddler was wailing and clinging tightly to her, absolutely terrified. When two large hands got a firm grip on his little waist, panic bit into her. No, no, she wouldn’t let— Her hair was suddenly released, and a scream mingled with a familiar animal growl that meant Shaya had shifted into her wolf form. While Roni was relieved that she was conscious again, Roni did not want the pregnant female, ruthless or not, fighting a male shifter. |
Re: A Story: Dark (Werewolf Fantasy) by GooseBump: 2:07am On Apr 11, 2018 |
“Don’t shift!” the other
male yelled. “A car’s
coming!”
Footsteps thudded along
the ground as the two
males disappeared from
view. Seconds later, there
was the sound of a car
speeding away, and a
heavy sense of relief
surged through Roni.
Hearing Shaya’s wolf pawing at the vehicle, whining, Roni
assured her, “We’re fine.” But, really, Roni wasn’t fine. Her
head was now throbbing, her body ached in several places,
and her vision was starting to blur and darken. If she
passed out again, she would be seriously unhappy.
Dominant females did not pass out, dammit.
“Roni, how badly are you guys hurt?” Shaya asked, back in
her human form.
Roni wanted to answer her Alpha female; wanted to ask
Shaya how injured she was and reassure her that
everything would be fine. But Roni’s mouth suddenly felt
stuffed with cotton, her chest felt tight, and black spots were
dancing before her eyes. Worse, there was a horrible
ringing sound that made her head pound even more.
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Her
wolf began to panic once more as the ringing became
deafening and a dark veil fell over Roni’s vision.
Then there was only blackness. 1 Like |
Re: A Story: Dark (Werewolf Fantasy) by GooseBump: 7:27am On Apr 11, 2018 |
CHAPTER TWO Sitting on an infirmary bed at Phoenix Pack territory half an hour later, Roni flinched as Grace used tweezers to pluck yet another piece of glass from Roni’s palms. Silently, she seethed, annoyed with herself. She—a dominant female who could outrun both her brothers, who could defeat a wolf while in her human form, and who had once almost made an Alpha male sob when she beat him at an arm wrestle—had passed out. Twice. What was wrong with the world? “Done,” announced Grace. “I have to thank you again for what you did. I dread to think what could have happened to Kye if you hadn’t kept him safe.” Roni took her strawberry-flavored lollipop out of her mouth only long enough to respond with: “It’s what anyone would have done.” “Don’t try to play it down. Protecting another with your life is never a small thing.” The brunette squinted as she studied the cut on Roni’s forehead. “That’s looking better.” It was the benefit of having a shifter’s accelerated healing rate. “What about the rest of you?” “Healing.” Shifters weren’t easy to hurt, which was largely why Roni had escaped the incident with just cuts, bruising, and a cracked rib. Thankfully, Tao and Kye had walked away with only a few scrapes and bruises. As Roni was almost fully healed, she’d turned down the Phoenix Alpha female’s offer to heal her. Shaya, however, had needed Taryn’s healing skills since she’d had a broken leg and a fractured wrist. Shaya had been fine by the time Nick and Derren arrived. Even so, Nick had freaked out—Roni had been able to hear him from the infirmary yelling and growling in the kitchen while Shaya desperately tried to calm him. The sound of heavy footsteps striding through the network of tunnels pulled Roni from her thoughts. Seconds later, a tall, dark, broad-shouldered vow of sexual satisfaction entered the room. Two pools of electric blue locked on Roni, and the atmosphere snapped taut as awareness throbbed between them—it was always the same. Marcus Fuller exuded sex, confidence, and a raw compelling charisma that commanded the attention of those around him . . . which was why the Phoenix Pack enforcer was the star of her every X-rated fantasy. He deserved an Oscar for his performances. Anger and concern radiating from him, he demanded, “How badly are you hurt?” As if he had every right, he ate up her personal space, skimming his gaze over her body. His dark scent slammed into her, and Roni once again found herself wishing she could bottle it. Earthy, spicy, and with a hint of leather, it never failed to tantalize both her and her wolf. Determined not to let him see the effect he had on her, Roni shrugged nonchalantly at the six feet of pure male power staring down at her. “I’m fine.” Clearly unconvinced, he turned to Grace for an answer. The traitor sang like a canary before reassuring him, “She should be fully healed within the hour. Now I have to get back to my daughter. She’ll wake up any minute now.” Once Grace was gone, Marcus’s gaze again locked on Roni. Anger no longer spilled from him, but she knew it was still there, simmering beneath the surface. Maybe everyone else was fooled by his laid-back manner, but Roni knew this wolf was as dark and dangerous as any predator. The minute she’d met the enforcer, her wolf had sensed the danger in him, the intensity, and the power . . . and then she’d practically rolled over, panting, totally in lust. It was just so . . . undignified. “How are you feeling, gorgeous?” Honestly? Like she wanted to gouge out those piercing eyes that took in her every move and expression. It was the stare of a hunter, and Roni very much felt like prey when he focused his full attention on her. It was something he did a lot, which only intensified the sexual tension that pulsed between them—a tension that was unexpected considering she was nothing like the foo-foo attention-whores he dated. |
Re: A Story: Dark (Werewolf Fantasy) by GooseBump: 7:38am On Apr 11, 2018 |
In the beginning, his flirtatious nature had irritated Roni,
despite her powerful elemental attraction to him. Sublimely
gorgeous people intimidated her, particularly the typical
“smooth talkers”—guys who had mastered the art of
making females part from their clothes using speech alone.
Roni liked a male with substance, not a player who was
incapable of loyalty and relied on his looks to get him what
he wanted in life.
However, her irritation had soon given way to curiosity,
because the more time she’d spent around Marcus Fuller,
the more she’d come to realize that the whole “smooth
talker” act was nothing but that—an act. He hid behind the
charm and the carefree attitude he projected to the world.
This guy cared very deeply about something. There was so
much anger there, packed in ice . . . yet no one seemed to
see it. No one seemed to see that this was a wolf with
secrets.
He was also a wolf who was annoyingly impossible to
dislike. She envied how he could so easily put people at
ease. Envied his ability to mix well with others and be
instantly accepted into any social circle. Roni, by contrast,
had a tendency to make people feel uncomfortable with
how out of tune she was with others’ feelings and their
social expectations.
At his impatient expression, she removed the lollipop from
her mouth. “I told you, I’m fine.” She slid off the bed, and
he cupped her elbow to support her as she stood upright.
The simple skin-to-skin contact caused her nerve endings to
spark to life. She pulled her arm free from his grasp. “I can
walk perfectly fine without help.” He flashed her that infamous smile designed to make any female blush and trip over herself to get to him. “You should know that prim, schoolteacher tone totally turns me on.” Roni would have been immune to that smile if it were sleazy. But no. It was a confident, mischievous, “I could make you come all night long” smile. She would bet that he damn well could. Not that she’d ever find out. Marcus flirted with her, sure, but only because he didn’t know any other form of communication. And besides, tomboys weren’t his type. Her wolf loved having all that raw sexuality and seductive charm directed at her, and she constantly pushed at Roni to act on her desire for him. It was taxing, since she and her wolf were so extremely close that the line that existed between her human side and animal side was blurred. It didn’t mean she didn’t have full control of her wolf, but it did mean that her wolf’s emotions could intrude on Roni’s human responses, and vice versa. As such, her wolf’s desire for him fed her own, making it even more difficult to resist him. Frustrated with him, herself, and her wolf, Roni stuffed her lollipop back into her mouth and offered him a blank look, refusing to let him see that she was no more resistant to his charm than every other female. Nothing. The female in front of him didn’t give him the slightest reaction, which only made Marcus smile wider. He had been on his way home from visiting his sister when he’d received a call from his Beta male, Dante, to let him know about the crash. He’d broken all kinds of laws as he drove like a maniac to get home and see for himself that everyone was fine, that Roni was fine. And now here she was, doing that aloof act again. And he was nothing short of amused. |
Re: A Story: Dark (Werewolf Fantasy) by GooseBump: 6:58pm On Apr 11, 2018 |
Initially, Roni’s apparent indifference had galled him. He
hadn’t liked that he seemed to be the only one feeling this
intense attraction that bordered on magnetism. Every time
they were in close proximity, the air crackled with sexual
energy, and he hadn’t believed that could possibly be a
one-way street. Yet, while the idea of skimming his hands
over that seductively lithe body and having those supple
legs wrapped around his waist often consumed his
thoughts, Roni always appeared totally unmoved. It made
no sense.
Rather than push, Marcus had backed off. He’d watched her
closely, studied her every reaction to him, and soon come
to realize that she wasn’t so indifferent to him after all. Why
she was fighting their attraction, he didn’t know. He wanted
to find out, to figure her out, so he could find a chink in her
armor. Roni was incredibly intelligent; in order to seduce
her physically, he’d need to first seduce her mentally.
The problem was that Roni was a difficult person to get to
know. She held back from everyone outside her own tiny
circle of people: her brothers, her Beta, and Shaya. But his
old Alpha hadn’t labeled Marcus “that stubborn little shit”
for nothing.
When Marcus wanted something, he would hunt it down
until it was his. And he wanted Roni Axton in his bed; he
wanted to explore this thing between them until all that
sexual tension had burned out, until she no longer
dominated his thoughts and fantasies.
There was just something about her . . .
Maybe it was that she was so very different from the
females he usually dated. Maybe it was that she didn’t
stroke his ego, didn’t fawn all over him in that way he’d
come to find distasteful. Or maybe it was just that she had
the most luscious ass he’d ever seen.
It was probably all three.
Of course, it could also be that in addition to being truly
delectable and exceptionally capable, Roni Axton was
downright lethal. He’d seen her fight when a large number
of prejudiced humans had invaded his territory; she’d been
sharp, fast, and merciless. And it had been damn hot.
His wolf liked Roni too—particularly her vicious streak. Just
like Marcus, he craved this dominant female to the extent
that she was quickly becoming an obsession. Her
indifferent, elusive air was a challenge that drew both man
and wolf.
Ordinarily, Marcus would avoid pursuing a female so hard
for fear that it would give them the impression he wanted
more than casual sex. But he had no worry that Roni would
become attached. She didn’t seem any better at emotional
intimacy than he was. She wouldn’t be clingy or needy or
play the kind of games he’d tired of long ago.
Considering he didn’t have the best reputation, he’d
expected her Alpha female to warn him away from Roni.
Shaya had seen the way he looked at her mate’s sister,
knew exactly how much he wanted her. Although Shaya was
a close friend of his, she was also very protective of Roni.
But surprisingly enough, Shaya appeared to be trying to set
them up. And Taryn appeared to be helping.
It was a good thing, really, since he doubted any warnings
would have kept him away—particularly since an element
of possessiveness had been there from the very beginning.
The new feeling had come as a surprise, had even spooked
Marcus slightly. But really, could he expect to be this
determined to have someone and not be possessive on
some level? Once the sexual tension was alleviated, he
figured the possessiveness would surely fade.
Ignoring Roni’s cautioning look, he placed his hand on her
lower back and guided her forward. “Sweetheart, you heard
Grace; there’s a chance you could have a concussion.
There’s nothing wrong with taking it easy and accepting a
little help.” She sniffed haughtily at him. Not that he’d
expect anything different from a dominant female shifter.
Their independent streak was a mile long. Still, he forced a
put-upon sigh just to needle her.
She dumped her lollipop stick in the trash can. “Did you
know that a sigh actually acts as a physiological reset
button?”
Marcus had noticed that Roni did that a lot—abruptly
blurted out a completely useless fact. At first, he’d thought
she did it in an awkward effort to be friendly and make
conversation. But he’d quickly come to realize that she did
it to make people go away. It worked. They immediately
pegged her as someone weird and boring, or they would
feel as uncomfortable as she did.
Marcus wasn’t going to fall for that. Besides, all that
intelligence was kind of hot, especially when she slapped
him down with it. “Really?” He fingered the ends of her long
ash-blonde hair, admiring the natural, loose curls. “Your
brain is like a sponge. I like that.”
Roni cast him an odd look. Why was he looking at her like
she was . . . interesting? Roni wasn’t interesting. And now he
was smiling at her again. Her wolf wanted to lick every inch
of him, which was just downright annoying and pathetic.
Okay, Roni could agree with the animal that this male who
had fought at her side was strong, solid, and deliciously
dominant. But allow Marcus to sense that? Not a chance.
She straightened her
spine and gave him a
dismissive wave of the
hand. “Why don’t you go
play with Betty Boop?”
“Betty Boop?” he
chuckled. “If you’re talking
about Zara—”
Oh, yeah, she was talking
about Zara. Curvaceous, elegant, graceful, she was
everything that Roni wasn’t.
“—that’s very much over.” There was only one female he
wanted.
“Well, then . . . go play with the treat you’re presently
sampling and—”
“You have the cutest nose.” He lightly tapped it with his
finger.
Unbalanced by his unexpected compliment, Roni shrugged
past him and marched off. And her nose was not cute.
Marcus easily caught up to her and stayed at her side as
they advanced through the network of tunnels that made
up Phoenix Pack territory. The ancient cave dwelling had
been modernized beautifully, and the Alpha female had
long ago branded it “Bedrock.” For that reason, Taryn often
referred to her mate as “Flintstone.”
Roni had only taken a single step into the crowded living
area when suddenly a dainty body wrapped itself around
her. Roni puffed various streaks of blonde hair out of her
mouth.
“You stopped them from taking my son,” sniffled Taryn.
“Thank you.” It was the third time she’d thanked her.
Trey stood behind Taryn. His arctic-blue eyes were wild,
manic, and his large form was fairly vibrating with anger. “If
you ever need anything—anything—it’s yours.” The rest of
the Phoenix Pack nodded their agreement.
“We’re in your debt,” said Greta, though she didn’t look
happy about it. In fact, her gaze narrowed dangerously as it
took in how closely Marcus stood to Roni.
Trey’s somewhat neurotic grandmother was very possessive
of “her boys”—those being Trey, Tao, Dante, and the four
enforcers, Marcus, Trick, Ryan, and Dominic. As she was
convinced that every unmated female was determined to
claim one of them, she made a distinct effort to frighten
them away. Of course it hadn’t worked with Taryn or the
Beta female, Jaime, but Greta persisted in trying to make
their lives difficult.
Not sure what to do with all the attention or the body still
curled around her, Roni threw Marcus a pleading look.
Smiling, Marcus took pity on Roni, satisfied that she had
looked to him for help. “Taryn, why don’t you find Roni a
place to sit? She could have a concussion.”
“Of course.” Taryn led Roni over to the armchair on which
Dominic sat. “Move it.”
“I’m hurt too, remember,” he griped. “None of you even
praised me for intervening between two fighting wolves.”
Taryn rolled her eyes. “It’s not exactly uncommon for Trick
and Ryan to get carried away when sparring. You only had a
few bruises. Most of them had healed by the time you
walked through the door.”
“A few bruises?” Dominic rose from the chair. “My chest had
so many black patches, I looked like a Holstein cow. And I
don’t care what you say, I had internal bleeding.”
Trick shook his head at Dominic. “Could you be any more
dramatic?” When he noticed that Marcus had perched
himself on the arm of Roni’s chair, Trick arched a brow.
Then a taunting smirk surfaced, deepening the claw marks
on Trick’s cheek. For as long as Marcus could remember,
Trick’s favorite pastime was tormenting people. He
thoroughly enjoyed teasing Marcus about Roni’s apparent
indifference to him. Asshole.
Roni stiffened as Shaya, Nick, and Derren entered the
room. She suspected a lecture from her brother. Within
seconds, Nick’s nostrils flared as he scented her. Then his
eyes fixed on Roni and darkened. Yep, a lecture was
coming.
Nick strode toward Roni, his face like thunder. “I can’t
believe you put Shaya in danger like that!” Rage seeped
from him—a rage so acute that it seemed to thicken the air.
It made Roni jump to her feet and put her wolf on high
alert. The Phoenix wolves immediately gathered behind
her, and Marcus pressed up against her side. What was that
all about?
Shaya, ever the peacemaker, smoothly slipped in front of
her mate. “Now, Nick . . .”
He glared at Roni over Shaya’s shoulder. “Do you think I
give out orders purely for fun, is that it?”
“No, I don’t,” replied Roni calmly. Her cool demeanor
seemed to further anger him.
“Shaya’s your Alpha female, she’s pregnant with your niece
or nephew, and you put them in danger!”
“That’s not fair, Nick,” reprimanded Shaya. “She had no way
of knowing what would happen. I asked her to get me out of
there; I needed to breathe. You’re so overprotective, it’s
suffocating!”
Roni knew exactly how that felt, as she dealt with it daily
from her mother and Nick. She loved and respected her
brother, trusted him more than anyone. But his level of
overprotectiveness made her feel hurt, offended, and
stifled. There was nothing more insulting or disrespectful to
a dominant female than treating her like she couldn’t take
care of herself.
“I’m just trying to keep you and our baby safe. And you
would have been safe if Roni hadn’t disobeyed me!”
“And what makes your word have more weight than
Shaya’s?” Roni felt compelled to ask.
“Excuse me?” Nick’s voice was quiet, menacing. Derren
winced.
“You can’t call her Alpha female and then undermine her by
dishing out orders to everyone that effectively give her no
say in her own life.”
“That isn’t what I’m doing!”
“It is.” Shaya’s voice was gentle but firm. “I was ready to
explode; that’s not good for either me or the baby.”
“It’s better than you being in a car accident!”
Roni barely refrained from growling in irritation. “You’re not
listening to a word either me or Shaya is saying.” Nick
advanced on her, teeth bared.
Marcus blocked the Alpha’s path. “Don’t touch her.”
Nick drew back, glowering. “What does this have to do with
you? With any of you?”
“Roni protected my son,” said Trey. “She now has the loyalty
of everyone in this pack. They’ll protect her from anything,
including you.”
“I’d never hurt her! She’s my sister!”
Roni sighed. Shifter male posturing was boring as shit. “I
can speak for myself |
Re: A Story: Dark (Werewolf Fantasy) by GooseBump: 6:58pm On Apr 11, 2018 |
Initially, Roni’s apparent indifference had galled him. He
hadn’t liked that he seemed to be the only one feeling this
intense attraction that bordered on magnetism. Every time
they were in close proximity, the air crackled with sexual
energy, and he hadn’t believed that could possibly be a
one-way street. Yet, while the idea of skimming his hands
over that seductively lithe body and having those supple
legs wrapped around his waist often consumed his
thoughts, Roni always appeared totally unmoved. It made
no sense.
Rather than push, Marcus had backed off. He’d watched her
closely, studied her every reaction to him, and soon come
to realize that she wasn’t so indifferent to him after all. Why
she was fighting their attraction, he didn’t know. He wanted
to find out, to figure her out, so he could find a chink in her
armor. Roni was incredibly intelligent; in order to seduce
her physically, he’d need to first seduce her mentally.
The problem was that Roni was a difficult person to get to
know. She held back from everyone outside her own tiny
circle of people: her brothers, her Beta, and Shaya. But his
old Alpha hadn’t labeled Marcus “that stubborn little shit”
for nothing.
When Marcus wanted something, he would hunt it down
until it was his. And he wanted Roni Axton in his bed; he
wanted to explore this thing between them until all that
sexual tension had burned out, until she no longer
dominated his thoughts and fantasies.
There was just something about her . . .
Maybe it was that she was so very different from the
females he usually dated. Maybe it was that she didn’t
stroke his ego, didn’t fawn all over him in that way he’d
come to find distasteful. Or maybe it was just that she had
the most luscious ass he’d ever seen.
It was probably all three.
Of course, it could also be that in addition to being truly
delectable and exceptionally capable, Roni Axton was
downright lethal. He’d seen her fight when a large number
of prejudiced humans had invaded his territory; she’d been
sharp, fast, and merciless. And it had been damn hot.
His wolf liked Roni too—particularly her vicious streak. Just
like Marcus, he craved this dominant female to the extent
that she was quickly becoming an obsession. Her
indifferent, elusive air was a challenge that drew both man
and wolf.
Ordinarily, Marcus would avoid pursuing a female so hard
for fear that it would give them the impression he wanted
more than casual sex. But he had no worry that Roni would
become attached. She didn’t seem any better at emotional
intimacy than he was. She wouldn’t be clingy or needy or
play the kind of games he’d tired of long ago.
Considering he didn’t have the best reputation, he’d
expected her Alpha female to warn him away from Roni.
Shaya had seen the way he looked at her mate’s sister,
knew exactly how much he wanted her. Although Shaya was
a close friend of his, she was also very protective of Roni.
But surprisingly enough, Shaya appeared to be trying to set
them up. And Taryn appeared to be helping.
It was a good thing, really, since he doubted any warnings
would have kept him away—particularly since an element
of possessiveness had been there from the very beginning.
The new feeling had come as a surprise, had even spooked
Marcus slightly. But really, could he expect to be this
determined to have someone and not be possessive on
some level? Once the sexual tension was alleviated, he
figured the possessiveness would surely fade.
Ignoring Roni’s cautioning look, he placed his hand on her
lower back and guided her forward. “Sweetheart, you heard
Grace; there’s a chance you could have a concussion.
There’s nothing wrong with taking it easy and accepting a
little help.” She sniffed haughtily at him. Not that he’d
expect anything different from a dominant female shifter.
Their independent streak was a mile long. Still, he forced a
put-upon sigh just to needle her.
She dumped her lollipop stick in the trash can. “Did you
know that a sigh actually acts as a physiological reset
button?”
Marcus had noticed that Roni did that a lot—abruptly
blurted out a completely useless fact. At first, he’d thought
she did it in an awkward effort to be friendly and make
conversation. But he’d quickly come to realize that she did
it to make people go away. It worked. They immediately
pegged her as someone weird and boring, or they would
feel as uncomfortable as she did.
Marcus wasn’t going to fall for that. Besides, all that
intelligence was kind of hot, especially when she slapped
him down with it. “Really?” He fingered the ends of her long
ash-blonde hair, admiring the natural, loose curls. “Your
brain is like a sponge. I like that.”
Roni cast him an odd look. Why was he looking at her like
she was . . . interesting? Roni wasn’t interesting. And now he
was smiling at her again. Her wolf wanted to lick every inch
of him, which was just downright annoying and pathetic.
Okay, Roni could agree with the animal that this male who
had fought at her side was strong, solid, and deliciously
dominant. But allow Marcus to sense that? Not a chance.
She straightened her
spine and gave him a
dismissive wave of the
hand. “Why don’t you go
play with Betty Boop?”
“Betty Boop?” he
chuckled. “If you’re talking
about Zara—”
Oh, yeah, she was talking
about Zara. Curvaceous, elegant, graceful, she was
everything that Roni wasn’t.
“—that’s very much over.” There was only one female he
wanted.
“Well, then . . . go play with the treat you’re presently
sampling and—”
“You have the cutest nose.” He lightly tapped it with his
finger.
Unbalanced by his unexpected compliment, Roni shrugged
past him and marched off. And her nose was not cute.
Marcus easily caught up to her and stayed at her side as
they advanced through the network of tunnels that made
up Phoenix Pack territory. The ancient cave dwelling had
been modernized beautifully, and the Alpha female had
long ago branded it “Bedrock.” For that reason, Taryn often
referred to her mate as “Flintstone.”
Roni had only taken a single step into the crowded living
area when suddenly a dainty body wrapped itself around
her. Roni puffed various streaks of blonde hair out of her
mouth.
“You stopped them from taking my son,” sniffled Taryn.
“Thank you.” It was the third time she’d thanked her.
Trey stood behind Taryn. His arctic-blue eyes were wild,
manic, and his large form was fairly vibrating with anger. “If
you ever need anything—anything—it’s yours.” The rest of
the Phoenix Pack nodded their agreement.
“We’re in your debt,” said Greta, though she didn’t look
happy about it. In fact, her gaze narrowed dangerously as it
took in how closely Marcus stood to Roni.
Trey’s somewhat neurotic grandmother was very possessive
of “her boys”—those being Trey, Tao, Dante, and the four
enforcers, Marcus, Trick, Ryan, and Dominic. As she was
convinced that every unmated female was determined to
claim one of them, she made a distinct effort to frighten
them away. Of course it hadn’t worked with Taryn or the
Beta female, Jaime, but Greta persisted in trying to make
their lives difficult.
Not sure what to do with all the attention or the body still
curled around her, Roni threw Marcus a pleading look.
Smiling, Marcus took pity on Roni, satisfied that she had
looked to him for help. “Taryn, why don’t you find Roni a
place to sit? She could have a concussion.”
“Of course.” Taryn led Roni over to the armchair on which
Dominic sat. “Move it.”
“I’m hurt too, remember,” he griped. “None of you even
praised me for intervening between two fighting wolves.”
Taryn rolled her eyes. “It’s not exactly uncommon for Trick
and Ryan to get carried away when sparring. You only had a
few bruises. Most of them had healed by the time you
walked through the door.”
“A few bruises?” Dominic rose from the chair. “My chest had
so many black patches, I looked like a Holstein cow. And I
don’t care what you say, I had internal bleeding.”
Trick shook his head at Dominic. “Could you be any more
dramatic?” When he noticed that Marcus had perched
himself on the arm of Roni’s chair, Trick arched a brow.
Then a taunting smirk surfaced, deepening the claw marks
on Trick’s cheek. For as long as Marcus could remember,
Trick’s favorite pastime was tormenting people. He
thoroughly enjoyed teasing Marcus about Roni’s apparent
indifference to him. Asshole.
Roni stiffened as Shaya, Nick, and Derren entered the
room. She suspected a lecture from her brother. Within
seconds, Nick’s nostrils flared as he scented her. Then his
eyes fixed on Roni and darkened. Yep, a lecture was
coming.
Nick strode toward Roni, his face like thunder. “I can’t
believe you put Shaya in danger like that!” Rage seeped
from him—a rage so acute that it seemed to thicken the air.
It made Roni jump to her feet and put her wolf on high
alert. The Phoenix wolves immediately gathered behind
her, and Marcus pressed up against her side. What was that
all about?
Shaya, ever the peacemaker, smoothly slipped in front of
her mate. “Now, Nick . . .”
He glared at Roni over Shaya’s shoulder. “Do you think I
give out orders purely for fun, is that it?”
“No, I don’t,” replied Roni calmly. Her cool demeanor
seemed to further anger him.
“Shaya’s your Alpha female, she’s pregnant with your niece
or nephew, and you put them in danger!”
“That’s not fair, Nick,” reprimanded Shaya. “She had no way
of knowing what would happen. I asked her to get me out of
there; I needed to breathe. You’re so overprotective, it’s
suffocating!”
Roni knew exactly how that felt, as she dealt with it daily
from her mother and Nick. She loved and respected her
brother, trusted him more than anyone. But his level of
overprotectiveness made her feel hurt, offended, and
stifled. There was nothing more insulting or disrespectful to
a dominant female than treating her like she couldn’t take
care of herself.
“I’m just trying to keep you and our baby safe. And you
would have been safe if Roni hadn’t disobeyed me!”
“And what makes your word have more weight than
Shaya’s?” Roni felt compelled to ask.
“Excuse me?” Nick’s voice was quiet, menacing. Derren
winced.
“You can’t call her Alpha female and then undermine her by
dishing out orders to everyone that effectively give her no
say in her own life.”
“That isn’t what I’m doing!”
“It is.” Shaya’s voice was gentle but firm. “I was ready to
explode; that’s not good for either me or the baby.”
“It’s better than you being in a car accident!”
Roni barely refrained from growling in irritation. “You’re not
listening to a word either me or Shaya is saying.” Nick
advanced on her, teeth bared.
Marcus blocked the Alpha’s path. “Don’t touch her.”
Nick drew back, glowering. “What does this have to do with
you? With any of you?”
“Roni protected my son,” said Trey. “She now has the loyalty
of everyone in this pack. They’ll protect her from anything,
including you.”
“I’d never hurt her! She’s my sister!”
Roni sighed. Shifter male posturing was boring as shit. “I
can speak for myself |
Re: A Story: Dark (Werewolf Fantasy) by GooseBump: 7:53am On Apr 12, 2018 |
Mouth curved into a small smile, Marcus very briefly
glanced at Roni over his shoulder. “Yes you can, sweetheart,
but your brother’s not interested in listening to you right
now. Blaming Roni isn’t fair, Axton, and you know it.”
Nick’s eyes flared with
anger. “If she hadn’t—”
“Do you really want to
play the ‘if’ game?” Marcus
tilted his head. “Okay, if
you hadn’t ignored your
mate’s anxiety—and don’t
tell me you didn’t know
exactly how she was
feeling through your
mating link—Shaya wouldn’t have needed a break. The
shifters who crashed into her car are the ones who deserve
your anger.”
That seemed to take some of the hot air out of Nick. Shaya
slipped her arms around him, whispering soothingly into
his ear. When he focused on Roni again, his breathing had
regulated and his rage was under control. But she knew
that it was only the feel and scent of his mate that was
keeping him composed.
“Roni was hurt too,” Shaya gently pointed out.
“What?” Nick studied Roni intently. When his eyes settled on
the cut on her forehead, a low growl escaped him. Great, he
was back to being overprotective. She preferred his anger.
“But thankfully,” Taryn quickly injected, “everyone is fine. So
how about we all sit?”
It was as Roni returned to her seat and Marcus again settled
on the arm of the chair that she noticed someone was
missing. “Where’s Tao?”
Marcus bent his head, putting his mouth to her ear, and
almost groaned as her scent furled around him. God help
him, she smelled like warm cinnamon rolls and pumpkin
pie. “He’s off somewhere, feeling sorry for himself. It nicked
his pride that he blacked out and couldn’t help.”
Roni could understand that. “Why are you hovering over
me?” And why, exactly, had he shielded her from Nick?
Standing at her side or her back was one thing, but
shielding her was a whole other thing. She shooed him
away, but he simply smiled.
“Do I make you nervous or something?”
Yes. “Of course not.”
“Then you won’t have a problem with me staying right
here.” He smiled when she narrowed her eyes and
shrugged.
“Grace said you had some pretty bad cuts.” Derren came
over and lifted Roni’s hands to examine them. Instinctively,
Marcus draped his arm over the back of the chair and laid a
possessive hand on her shoulder. Noting the move, the
Beta smiled in amusement.
Roni pulled free of Derren’s grip. “Really, I’m fine.”
“You sure look fine.” Dominic smiled flirtatiously. “I swear, I
could fall madly in bed with you.” Jaime laughed while
everyone else groaned. The unfairly hot blond had a habit
of dishing out cheesy chat-up lines that should act more as
repellents than seductive techniques. Yet, they somehow
worked for him.
Roni believed in giving as good as she got, so she did what
she always did: she hit him with another line. “Are you a
water fountain, Dominic? Because you’re getting me wet.”
He scowled petulantly. “Stop that! Saying cheesy lines is my
thing!”
Marcus sighed. “You have issues, Dom.” The jerk would also
have a black eye if he kept that shit up with Roni.
A cute giggle was followed by the entrance of Kye and Lydia,
one of the mated females. “Ro!”
Roni smiled as Kye dashed toward her, holding out a small
truck. Kye Coleman was the cutest thing ever and,
shockingly, seemed to like her. Ordinarily, Roni wasn’t good
with anything that breathed. “Wow, is this yours?”
He nodded proudly, but when she went to touch the toy, he
frowned. “Mine.” He’d obviously inherited his dad’s
possessive streak. With his other hand, he held out a
second truck. But when she moved to grab it, he frowned
again. “Mine.”
Oooookay.
“It’s his new favorite word,” said Jaime, stroking the chubby
ginger cat that was batting at her long sable braid. “That and
‘no.’ Aren’t you going to share with Roni?”
“No.”
Jaime sighed. “See what I mean?”
Marcus smiled as Kye babbled to Roni, who nodded along
and babbled back. She always softened with Kye and gave
him her full attention. Marcus had noticed her occasionally
sneak him little treats when she thought no one was
looking.
Trey, a statue of barely contained rage, took position in the
center of the room with Taryn at his side. She placed a
comforting hand on his arm, and some of the tension left
him. “I’d like to talk about what happened, Roni. We’ve
already heard Shaya and Tao’s versions. We need to piece
everything together.”
Everyone turned to Roni expectantly, and the massive
amount of attention made her tense. To her surprise,
Marcus gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze. “The car
seemed to come out of nowhere, but it was no accident. I
blacked out”—she said through her teeth—“and when I
woke up, two males were struggling to open the door to get
to Kye. I didn’t get a good look at them.”
“That’s okay,” Taryn assured her. “Shaya was able to give us
detailed descriptions.”
Dante leaned forward. “Did they say what they wanted with
him?”
Roni shook her head. “They didn’t use names or mention
any packs. But I know they weren’t wolves.”
“They were jackals.” It was always a jolt to hear the mostly
mute and grumpy-looking Ryan speak. “I smelled their
blood in the car.”
“Jackals?” Greta sneered. “Sly little things.”
“I’ve never met a jackal that I liked,” said Gabe, Jaime’s
brother. His mate, Hope, made a sound of agreement.
“They’re into just about every illegal activity there is and live
by their own set of rules. Those rules are basically: One,
don’t get caught. And two, if caught, deny everything.”
Lydia’s baby-faced mate, Cam, spoke. “I think the nearest
jackal pack is at least three hours away.”
“Yes, and we need to talk to them.” Trey made “talk” sound
more like “destroy.”
Grace stood with baby Lilah in her arms. “How about I take
the kids into the kitchen? I know they won’t understand
what’s being said, but . . .”
“I was just about to suggest that.” Taryn shot Grace a
grateful smile.
“I’ll come too.” Taking Kye’s hand, Lydia led him out of the
room with promises of cookies.
Once they were gone, Marcus looked at Trey. “We don’t
know for sure that the jackals in question are from their
pack.” |
(1) (Reply)
My Fate, My Destiny - Episode 4 / Lucid Traveler By Norbert Frank / Daughter Of Many Mothers
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